The Forgotten Promise
by 13litz13last
Summary: Sequel to Alexandrine Ockley. Bella is left in Forks for her own good, and Xan is told to look after her. But when Victoria is out for revenge, Xan will have to make a choice that could impact their lives forever.
1. Prologue

The sky darkened, the horizon sparkling in colors ranging from the deepest purples to the most majestic of oranges and reds. The hues dyed the sky, shimmering among stars and a slowly rising moon. The skyline is shaded by trees of all shapes and sizes, and the young human watched this was an amazed expression from the tinted windows of the Jeep.

"Wow," Bella murmured, eyes twinkling with fascination. "That's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen."

"Meh," Xan shrugged. "I'd rate that...six out of ten? Nah, maybe a seven, if I'm generous."

She was sitting in the back seat, leaning as far as possible towards where Edward and Bella sat, facing the road.

"You know what would be a great birthday present?" Bella said. "Just staying here, watching the sun set with you, alone..."

"With me, playing in the grass like any other thirteen-year-old," Xan giggled. She seemed remarkably more happy since she had been accepted in the Cullen coven--well, actually, no, she didn't _seem _happy, she _was. _

"Nice try, Bells," Edward laughed, "but we're going to that party."

Bella groaned. "Do we _have _to?"

"Yep," Edward said. "Lighten up, will ya?"

"Yeah, lighten up," Xan chuckled. "I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"


	2. I'm French, After All

"Oh, come on, Eddie," Xan said, tugging on the back of her pony-tail childishly. "Don't be so rash."

"It's for her own good," he said as calmly as possible, packing his clothes at lightning speed.

"You know she'll be crushed," she urged, leaning back against the rather large bookcase that took up a corner of his room. "She won't be any better off!"

"She won't have vampires begging for her blood," Edward pointed out, nearly shoving her in repressed anger as he ripped the books from the shelves.

"Edward," she said, taking his arm and yanking his body around so he faced her and their eyes locked, "none of you would have ever hurt her. You know that."

He diverted his eyes, jerking his arm from her iron grip and scanning his large collection of CDs in order to pick his favorites from the aquisition. Unable to choose, he flitted to his closet, extracted yet another large suitcase, and began filling it with all the CDs he could fit.

Then he moved on to his batch of music sheets. He shuffled through the small assortment and took about ten peices. Xan noticed that he didn't bring his hand-written lullaby that had been created in Bella's honor.

_Maybe he doesn't want to be reminded of her? _Xan wondered.

Or maybe he just knew that one best of all, by heart.

"You can't change my decision," he said, finally stopping in his chaotic rush. "You saw how her birthday went."

"Only Jasper lost control fully," Xan reminded, ignoring the audible flinch of Jasper downstairs. "The rest were quite well-behaved."

Edward chuckled darkly. "And you?"

Xan looked away and stared intently at the wall. "I wasn't _so _bad..."

Edward rolled his eyes, dropping the well-ironed blue button-down shirt he was holding. "I guess I can't blame you. You acted as any immortal child, throwing a tantrum from lack of fresh blood..."

Xan emitted a guttural snarl that only a two-headed, ravenous, snake-wolf monster from the pits of hell could have replicated. "If that is so," she said fiercely, "why am I left with the girl?"

Edward sighed, sitting down heavily on his immaculate couch.

"To tell the truth," Edward mumbled, rubbing his temples, "you're the one I trust to most. I mean, the rest are as trustworthy, Alice especially, but...I don't know, I think you're the most capable, in this situation."

Xan coughed uncomfortably, trying to hide her pride at his words. She grinned. "Well, you know. I'm French, after all..."

Edward smiled wryly. "Yes, I suppose that's true," he then stood, looking rather exhausted, though vampires could not actually _be _exhausted.

"Will you do it?" Edward pleaded. "Look after her, I mean. For me?"

Alexandrine sighed. "Well," she said, staring at her flip-flops, "I suppose...but what of the Quileutes?"

"Carlisle has promised to make an agreement," Edward assured. "But there might have to be some heavy consequences on your part."

Xan groaned, like a teenager told she couldn't go out with her friends that night. "Those doggone shape-shifters!"

Edward's eyes furrowed. "I thought they were werewolves."

She shook her head. "Nah, the werewolves are from Europe. Nasty things. They're called the Children of the Moon. Caius had it out with one, once. Disgusting little buggers. Caught him in the face with a claw. And you know Caius. Got so angry...well...it's probably too graphic to describe even to _you, _Eddie."

Edward stared into his bedroom mirror, mounted on the wall opposite the bookcase. He stared into it for an immeasurable amount of time, just staring.

Xan watched in a kind of fascination at the obvious look of self-loathing imprinted on Edward's facial features.

Finally, in an ear-splitting explosion, Edward's fist collided with the mirror, shattering it into tiny peices that ricocheted from the furniture, while the sound boomed throughout the home.

"I'm so _sick _of this life," he murmured in a dark, foreboding tone.

Xan nodded in empathy. "Me, too, Ed," she whispered. "Me too."


	3. Departure

_Hiya! I'd just like to mention that I do __**not **__know cars __**at all. **__So the only car I could think of was the Jeep, because they have a Jeep, and that was the biggest car I could come up with. So forgive me. _

_Also, I'm a very insecure person, so I feel like I should apologize if this chapter didn't turn out as I hoped it would. And that is just making you anxious, thinking I ruined it. Hell, it might be good. That's just me._

_Ugh. I should just stop talking already._

--

"You're absolutely sure?"

Xan looked up to the dark, gloomy ceiling as she asked this, not able to look into the eyes of the one who once hated her, and now trusted her more than his sisters.

"If I wasn't sure, would I have arranged all this so thoroughly?" Edward laughed, but the laugh was low and hollow. Xan sighed.

"So the plan's to follow and watch Bella until we--er, _I_--kill Victoria?"

"And Laurent, and then you can rejoin us." Edward said, leaning back against one of the numerous sports cars in their garage. They were completely alone--though, technically, right outside the garage were the waiting Cullens in their ginormous Jeep.

They would be out of the state by morning.

"Right, Laurent," Xan nodded. "I thought he was the good one."

"He might be," Edward said starkly. "Or maybe not. But we're all old--forget this new Americanized system of everyone having a right to a free trial. Let's just cut to the chase and slaughter the fool."

Xan giggled, clearly agreeing. "I'd be happy to do the honors."

They were quiet a moment, each looking in opposite directions.

"You have everything?" Xan asked, kicking the tire to a BMW.

"Yep," Edward said. "Everything we need, anyway."

Xan sighed. "So, when will I get to see you again?"

Edward shoved his hands in his pockets and started to pace. "Never, not until Victoria and Laurent are down for the count. You know mates, they can never let things go, can they?"

Xan laughed so blatantly and deafeningly that Edward nearly jumped out of his skin. "Of course not! You should know that by now. You should have seen me when Hvatgeirr died! Oh, what a wretched witch I was. We were in the South, killing off the perpetual vamps. I believe, that day, we Volturi filled our quota for the day, ten fold..."

Edward shook his head in disbelief. "How nonchalant you are! How can you speak that way of a mate?"

Xan shrugged. "The years harden you."

"But...you're..." Edward stumbled for the words.

"A teenager?" Xan suggested.

Edward nodded wordlessly.

Xan shrugged once more. "In the end, it really doesn't matter the physical age. I've had more life experiences than you," she pointed out, "seen more chaos, death, disease, world-wide catastrophes and depressions...and yet I act as if I was the most care-free child in the world. Do you know one of the worst things about being turned at my age?"

Edward's silence was her cue to go on.

"I know you know I despise being called young, and being treated like it," Xan said. "But the worst is that you have to prove yourself to everyone. When you're older-looking, people will take you seriously because you look the part of being a mature adult. It isn't the same with me. I always have to prove my worth, maturity, sensibility...I can never be taken seriously, save for those who know me well...like you, Carlisle, and my Volturi friends..."

Her eyes became glazed as she looked off into some distant place. Edward watched with the utmost reverence as her hand slowly made its way up her body and landed on her reddish-gold medallion that swung from her neck, the one James had stolen but she'd reclaimed.

"I should go now," Edward said, hating to interrupt her moment.

She seemed glad of the topic change. They'd gotten completely off track.

Edward moved toward the garage door. "So, I'll, uh...I'll be seeing you."

Xan looked down, but before she could talk herself out of it, she ran forward, and awkwardly, embarrassingly, hugged Edward, while his back was turned.

Sun rays filtered through the dirty windows of the huge garage, refracting off the waxed cars. They stayed in that embrace for a moment, nothing moving but the oblivious swirls of dust about them in the air. Xan was the one doing the hugging, really; Edward acted exactly like the statue he was.

And, also like a statue, Xan pulled away, not able to look into Edward's eyes and vice versa with Edward. The two were close, but in the sort of way many siblings are: they loved each other, but were clumsy in showing it or wanting to show it.

"So, yeah," Xan said, faking a cough and starting to, in an aloof manner, walk down the line of cars. "Get Carlisle, would you?"

"Sure," Edward said, nodding and leaving as fast as vampirically possible.

Xan was then alone for half a moment, staring at the impossibly clean, fast-looking cars.

And then Carlisle was there, right beside her.

Xan didn't even acknowledge his prescence. She just continued to stare at the cars.

"I know you probably don't want to do this," Carlisle said uneasily. "I know it's a sacrifice on your part. I know you'd rather be with us, considering we've just started to accept you back into the home...but it would mean the world to us if you did this."

"If?" Xan said. "I _am._"

"We can never repay you," Carlisle continued. "Our debt is only increasing in size, and we grimly report that this was never our intention, nor our goal."

Xan sighed. "Just...promise me something, will ya?"

Carlisle, a little too eagerly, asked, "What is it? I'll do anything!"

Xan sighed. "Well...it's more than one thing, Car."

Carlisle nodded for her to continue.

"Take care of Edward," Xan asked. "You know him. He'll be a total train wreck."

"Of course."

"And learn a bunch of stuff in my absence, ok? Make this leave worthwhile."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Don't worry about me, or your 'increasing debt', got it?"

"I'll...reluctantly do so."

She didn't say anything for a moment, and it dawned on Carlisle that she was slightly flustered.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Do you...do you promise...on your life, or, um...life you once had...do you promise..."

Carlisle waited patiently.

"Do you promise, that after all this, I'll still be in the family? I mean, nothing will have changed between us, right? You're not using me, of course..."

Carlisle could read the doubt in her voice.

"No, no, we'd never use you," Carlisle said reassuringly, while masking the horror he felt that she'd even consider that. He felt like more of a father than he'd ever been. "Things will not be the same, no, but we won't look at you any different, if that's what you mean. If we do, it will only be with renewed pride and love. You're a Cullen now, remember?"

Alexandrine smiled from ear to ear. "Thanks, Car!"

"Of course," he smiled.

He then checked his watch. "Really, we've got to go," he said, hastily hugging Xan without a trace of the stiff nature that had hung in the air when Xan and Edward had hugged.

Then he was walking away, and Xan followed, not wanting to leave his side. She'd been away from him for longer periods, decades in the least, but she'd never felt so close to him before. The thought of not seeing him for as long as it took to kill Victoria and Laurent--and not seeing Edward, or Alice, or Emmett, and the rest--was almost too much to bear. It was different in the Volturi. They were all friends, and Xan loved them so, but they were used to being away from one another, and they had a sort of detached friendship.

But, with the Cullens, it wasn't really friendship.

It was family.

As the Jeep pulled away slowly, only Emmett waved. It wasn't as if they didn't care, but most of them just couldn't bear to say good-bye. A few of them--Jasper, Alice, Edward, and Carlisle mostly--felt as if they were leaving her behind to fix their problems for them.

And Emmett, of course, loved her. He was no exception.

He was just that immature.


	4. The Wait

**OCTOBER.**

**NOVEMBER.**

**DECEMBER.**

Xan had never been so intrigued by the notion of a vampire's death. Was it possible? A natural death, anyway. They had to get old enough for that. I mean, all things end. Right?

Maybe she was already dead, because it seemed like she had arrived in Hell. The motonous routine of her days--that had to be the worst thing _ever. _

Every day, she just followed Bella around. That's all she did. At school, at home...those being the only two places she went, besides that idiotic Newton's Sporting Goods place.

And she never did anything out of the ordinary. It was _always the same._

Her father was the only one to keep Xan sane. He, at least, was interesting to watch at the dinner table, or watching TV--Xan would be watching from outside, of course. His expressions would change as he thought of things, usually about why Bella was being so odd. Many times his expression would turn to that of anger towards, probably, Edward.

If only Xan could explain to him. Then again, she wouldn't get to see those menacing faces he made.

She had thought, in the beginning, that she would keep in touch with Edward and the rest. This was a folly on her part. She always needed to be near Bella, and so the only chances she got to talk to them were at night, while she slept. But they never called her. The first week, she kept waiting for someone to check in. When she finally called Carlisle, he chastised her.

"You must only call if there's an emergency, or you've found Victoria," he explained.

"Doesn't Edward want to know how she's doing?"

"Of course," Carlisle said, for the first time sounding impatient, "but to hear of her, so soon after the departure...it would be best if he didn't hear a word of her for a while. Please, don't call unless it's important."

She hadn't heard a word of him since.

**JANUARY.**

"Hey, Bella," Charlie said one day, at the dinner table.

"Yes?" Bella answered in her monotone.

"Do you remember Jacob? Jacob Black? Billy's son, I mean."

Bella, after a long, agonizing moment, nodded.

"Well, I was wondering if maybe...you could spend time with him, if only for a little while. After school, I mean. He's making a car. Maybe the two of you could...you know...hang out...it would be for the best."

_Finally, _Xan thought. _Something interesting._

--

_Hey, guys! Short chapter, I'm aware. And it wasn't that good. But it had to be like that._

_A note: I need to borrow the New Moon book from my friend, because I currently don't own one. So I can't start again until I have it. It will be soon, but, you know...just to tell you._

_Well, that was a peice of useless information to you._

_Anyway...bye._


	5. Adventure

Xan stared at the cellular phone for a long time. Just staring. Wondering. Calculating.

Because of this, she was surprised to find, upon finally forcing her eyes away from the cell, that night had already fallen.

Xan was still not used to such a transition. Forks was probably the only place in the world where day could turn to night so fast that it seemed instantaneous--not only because it was winter and night fell quickly, but the sky was always heavily filled with rain and snow clouds, and the many jungle-like trees always blocked out sunlight anyway.

Still, as a vampire, she should have noticed this. How could she have been so oblivious? Was it her age?

Well, to be fair, vampires are better than humans in virtually every imaginable way, so it should go without saying that they can focus really hard on something and never let their attention go.

Which is exactly what Xan had done. No one can blame her, though. She had a lot on her mind. And rightfully so.

Carlisle had not been cruel to her during her last phone call, but he sounded stern enough to make Xan anxious about calling him over something that could be nothing.

She wanted to tell him about Jacob.

Bella was going to ride over with her father the following evening for the first time to the Black house on the La Push reservation--Xan checked in on Bella now, glancing through the tightly shut window to the nightmare-plagued girl, now rolling over fitfully.

Now, this was a problem in multiple ways.

One--they hated her. This much was painfully obvious, because whenever Billy would make the journey to the chief of police's house, he would make it clear that he was so glad that the Cullens had finally beat it, especially that "little weirdo brunette, who causes everyone nothing but trouble."

And second--lastly--they were the Quileutes. They had a rich history, full of tales of their werewolf ancestors attacking and destroying any vampires who stupidly wandered onto their land. And Xan could vouch for them. She'd stumbled on that land once and returned all of three times, all of which were on business.

She'd met plenty of them. They'd all pretty much hated her, if she remembered correctly, though one or two respected her a little. But she didn't really care. It was her job. Besides, she didn't really care for them, either.

When looking back on those occasions, she had to focus to recollect events. It was almost like with Alice's seeing ability, which was clogged when it came to the Quileutes. Xan had heard Jasper and Edward whine about it too--they were very hard to perceive.

Sure, Edward and Jasper could use their abilities on them, but it was rather fuzzy. It was the same with her, and her memory. And since the last meeting had been centuries ago, her memory was even more fuzzy than Edward's of the signing of the treaty.

But it didn't matter. All that mattered was that they hated her.

But that was probably a good thing. They hated vampires--it was their natural instinct. And because of that, Bella would be safe there. From vampires, at least.

Nevertheless. She was bound by obligation to watch over Bella all the time, but La Push was off-limits for her, so she probably wouldn't be able to go on the reservation. Could she trust that she'd be safe with the Quileutes...?

Xan was almost always with Bella, but that didn't mean she wasn't aware of other things going on. She could hear the howls of the wolves in the distance. And they were different from the predictable howl of a cayote, or of regular wolves. They were loud, as if they didn't really care who heard. The howls were for fun, not for hunting or location; not usually, anyway. This was quite foolish, for a wolf.

There wasn't a doubt in her mind--they were back.

Even so, it only seemed as if two, maybe three had turned. So there weren't many. On the other hand, even several can be deadly, with their lack of control, and precision when it came to their immense strength, speed, and raging temper...

Xan stared at the blue and red phone, turning it over in her hand, stroking its side. She couldn't feel its smoothness. She was insensitive to so much now, it felt as if the phone was as cold and hard as she was.

She breathed out, feeling like she wanted to crush the phone. She felt horribly relient on it. It was as if that sole cell phone, as insignificant as it was, was her life line to another living thing. Ok, well, existing thing, but you get the picture. She hadn't talked to anyone in months, save for the animals she rarely hunted, mocking them until she went in for the kill, and then expressing her gratitude for their suculent blood. She would do anything to hear Carlisle's voice, or Edward's, or Esme's, or Emmett's, or all the rest. She'd even be glad to hear _Rosalie's _snooty tone, probably whining about vacationing in Venice or something.

She hated depending on other people--or vampires, whatever--more than was absolutely necessary. She was an independant person. Not only that, but whenever she let herself become attached to another being, they would somehow die or hurt her. I.E. Carlisle, Caius, Aldo, Hvatgeirr...

She leaned back against the tree, wishing to feel its rough bark, its pulsing life force. No such luck.

She was so bored. Just sitting there. Nothing to do. She'd been doing it for months. Even vampires, who live so long that eventually they learn eternal patience, have a limit. She wanted to do something...radical. Risky, even.

She smiled broadly then, thinking up something scandalous...risky... childish, yes, but she was too bored to tears to care.

Edward would _hate _her.

She started to crawl toward the window, after tucking her phone safely in a rut in the tree where she always stored it. She inched forward slowly, slowly, even though she was completely and utterly sure that the oblivious Bella would hear absolutely nothing. The creeping, the sneaking--it was all part of the thrill.

Then came the window. Oh, the window. Xan curled her hands around the bottom of the frame and pulled.

It made an awful muffled _thump_ing sound that made Xan jump back and Bella roll over unknowingly.

It was locked. Oh, dear! What was a vampire to _do_?

Eh, to heck with it. _I guess the only option, _Xan thought mischievously, _is to sneak in the unlocked front door! However shall I pull that off!? I'll have to use my super awesome ninja skillz!_

With the grace and charm of a wildcat, Xan leapt from her perch and aptly came to the ground with a rolling landing, immediately running in the stance of a wolf to the front of the home.

_How smart, _Xan thought, _of the chief of police to leave his own doors unlocked!_

With an easy little twist, the door came loose, and she doggedly, lacking any fear whatsoever, waltzed into the home, closing the door recklessly loudly behind her.

Then she shuffled up the stairs with more tact now; long, shiny, messy brown hair flowing down her back, bare feet scraping against the old carpeted stairs.

She came to Charlie's room. His loud snoring could wake a hibernating bear, but Bella didn't seem to notice. Xan quickly side-stepped his room--she wasn't in the mood to mess with the man.

Bella's room was girl-ish, yet simple. Xan snuck in with ease, and walked around the room boldly, occasionally checking to see if Bella had awoken and would start screaming that the Cullens had returned.

She never stirred.

Finally, when the high of completing her insanely easy task had melted away, she did what she had come there to do.

Quickly, silently, she rifled through her closet and dresser, extracting exactly what she had been searching for.

Clothes.

Now, this would probably worry Bella later, (considering everyone's absolute frenzy over her missing shirt in _Eclipse_) but since she was in no real danger, and she'd either not notice or not care considering her current zombie-like state, Xan decided to steal away her least-prized clothes.

Bella was small and Xan had been tall for her age, so the clothes nearly fit. All her clothes had become worn, tattered, and blood spattered over the months--she had only about five shirts and pants total to begin with, (one mauled off by an unsuspecting bear later on) though Alice had groaned that her wardrobe was nothing like a teenager's should be--and she needed a new set. Since she was too busy watching Bella to really go out and do anything, and all the money Carlisle had given her she'd been planning to save until it had a good use, she surmised that it wouldn't hurt to take a little of Bella's surplus.

She ended up with some tacky plaid shorts and a low-cut red shirt, topped with a _The Spoon Ruined the Spork. FORKS. _baseball cap.

Feeling on top of the world, she was about to step out of the room when she noticed, on Bella's nightstand, a brush.

A brush. Such a small, unimportant thing. Yet, Xan had forgotten one when she'd packed.

She picked it up, stroking its spikes, topped with little rubber ends so as not to hurt the poor, sensitive human's scalp.

Xan was suddenly furious for no reason whatsoever. Bella got to have a brush? Bella? Bella, who did nothing but mope around all day, not seeming to have a purpose in the world but to make her and Charlie and everyone else's life stressful with worry for her well-being, not to mention miserable, for they had to spend time with such a negative creature? While Xan, a good little girl following Edward and Carlisle's orders and protecting the little klutz, had to live--_exist_--with messy hair?

In a spontaneous rampage, Xan swiped the brush from the vanity while nearly making permanent holes in its wood. She fled the room and was out the front door in a millisecond, flying through the woods the next.

She ended up in a small muddy clearing, throwing her old clothes to the ground--which she would have forgotten had she not been holding them before her outburst--and then sat on the ground, not caring that she was getting her new clothes wet.

She stared at the brush. Suddenly, she was pulling it through her hair in a flash, not stopping until she realized the brush had lost all its spikes.

She stared at it, completely clear of spikes. She suddenly discerned that she had broken all the pins in the brush when she'd violently forced it through her hair. Her hair, being completely messy, had caught in the spikes and inevitably pulled the spikes out, because the hair couldn't rip off--being vampire hair, it was permanent.

The brush dropped from her hand. She let it slide into the mud as the first drops of the early morning rain fell down, plopping onto her head without remorse. She lifted her face to the sky, hoping the cool drops would calm her.

Turns out she couldn't feel the rain, either.

--

_Did you notice how often I said "spikes"? I couldn't figure out the word for the little...er...SPIKES that make up the brushes...well...SPIKES. GODAMM--no, not vampires--IT!!!_

_Lolz. This chapter was unusually long! Yaaaay!_


	6. Luther

_S'up, everyone! It's me again! How long has it been since my last update? Whatever. _

_Summer's coming! No school! So I'll probably have more time to write my stories._

_Hey, I thought it would be cool to tell you guys I'm a thirteen-year-old girl. Did you expect that? Don't worry, it's allowed on this site. I'm interested to know if you guys think my writing ability is above normal. Wanna tell me? Message me or review me. I love praise. And, you know, constructive critisism. _

_Ok! Here goes!_

_--_

Xan decided to hunt that day. It was noon, the sky was high in the sky, and for once, it was bright out.

In a few hours, Bella would ride over with her father to La Push. Xan felt she needed to be in complete control of her thirst should she go with them, secretly. That way, she would be able to handle any confrontation, should it present itself.

She had debated whether or not to change her food habits. Carlisle wasn't there to watch her, and whenever she remembered the sweet taste of human flesh, she would unconsciously enter a hunting position, nose to the sky, searching for blood.

She always stopped herself, though. She could never forget the incident with the boys, and how it nearly ruined her relationship with one of her only true friends.

The only days she went without thirst was when she hunted. That very day, she would be without thirst. But by the time the sun rose the following morning, she'd find herself yearning for the relief of blood-red...well...blood, rushing down her throat...

Though she had new clothes now, she couldn't stop herself.

She'd left the broken comb in the muddy clearing. She felt no need to keep it, seeing as it was of no use to anyone. It only reminded her of her inevitable lifestyle.

She'd never actually found anything truly _wrong _about the way she existed. She had no choice in the matter of being a vampire, and therefore, it couldn't be _wrong. _

And though she still felt there wasn't anything _sinful _about it, she started to feel resentment toward it. She had long forgotten the feel of the fluttering of a heart within her chest, long forgotten the cold of a winter's night. Exhaustion. The feel of stabbing pain.

What else was she forgetting? She knew there had to be lots of things. People. Places. Experiences, emotions. Maybe she was even forgetting someone important...

She didn't want to think about it, though.

She had but one release: the thrill of a hunt.

She was mid-forest now, deep in the depths of the green abyss that was the woods surrounding Forks. Birds chirped overhead, but not for long. Every creature knew the danger of such a creature as she; could feel it in their veins.

And they scattered.

But that was just great. It gave the hunt that much more entertainment.

She effortlessly located a herd of deer of maybe twenty or more. Her nose was quite keen, though it had lost its sensitivity over the years. Still, she could tell there was a limping doe and a young calf by her side.

But this was not what interested her. It was too easy to go for the weak ones, the young ones, the sick ones. The real fun was in the chase.

She targeted the male leader, antlers larger than she'd seen in a while, about twenty or so miles from her location, leading the herd towards a lake miles north of their location.

She grinned evilly, picking up the pace. Through the trees and the bracken, she was a blur, jumping from rock to rock at a speed the human eye could never hope to follow.

She was such a sight to human eyes. Extreme beauty, immeasurable speed, with instincts like that of a true predator.

But to another vampire's?

She was old. Very old. You could tell by her movements. She was fast, she was strong, she was tough, but it was quite obvious she had lost some of it over the years.

And she realized it. Oh, she realized it. She could feel her bones creak, her diamond skin glitter, but not gleam.

She never thought she would know what it was like to grow old.

She was wrong.

But she forced her mind off this trivial subject. Her thirst overpowered her rational thought, and focused on nothing but the prey.

They sensed her a mile off, and the reaction to her presence was immediate. Mothers ran, some pushing their young forward in an effort to increase their speed. Young ones yelped with fear and loped up a hillside.

The leader was a funny one, though. While the deer ran to help one another, he helped himself. He pushed past the young mothers and the old, galloping up the green expanse, weaving through trees and into a meadow.

If Xan had ever felt a tinge of sadness, a hint of regret in any of her hunts on animals before, it was long gone. This creature was a selfish being, which was uncommon among deer and other animals, and Xan felt no sorrow in slaughtering the beast.

The raw, primal urge to seek and destroy welled within her stomach, gripping her body like an iron fist. It was what propelled her forward for the final kill.

The sun at its zenith, the clouds rolling quietly, the wind whipping through the leaves of the trees--it all seemed to stand still. The deer's eyes were wide, staring straight into Xan's. Xan felt like she could bear into its soul. And what did she find?

Nothing.

It was dead before she realized it. She was so used to hunting, whether it be animals or humans, that she often unconsciously killed the thing. The hunt was over and the deed was done, what pleasure was there to be had in the snapping of it's neck; in watching it's life empty of its body?

The other deer had long since scrambled away, regrouping. They didn't seem to feel any remorse over it. They just...left.

Not that Xan really paid attention to that. She was more involved with the deer. The warm blood splashing on the grass--every drop seemed like an immense waste. Though the blood she tasted seemed foul--though, rationally, she knew it was perfectly healthy and fine--she nonetheless swallowed it and drained the creature for all it was worth in a matter of moments.

"Is this what you're reduced to now?"

The voice sent shivers down Xan's back. She knew that voice. Had known it for a long time. Didn't want to know it, but knew it nonetheless.

"Luther." It wasn't a question.

This couldn't be happening. She was sure she'd left him behind a long time ago. How had he found her?

"It's fine," said the voice, as a shadow emerged from the side of the meadow she was currently sitting in beside her kill, twenty or so feet from her. "I know you all too well for you to care what you look like."

_Care about what I look like? _Xan thought bitterly, staring down at her blood-soaked clothes, ruined. _Why would I care?_

Xan laughed quietly, without emotion. "How did you come here without me noticing?"

Now it was Luther's turn to laugh. "I was in the Volturi guard for centuries! You should expect more from me, Lexy."

The name sent memories shooting to the front of her mind, all of which she'd suppressed. They all seemed new to her, as if they had never happened. Why was she forgetting so much?

She was silent a moment, taking it all in. The figure stood, motionless, facing her back.

Finally, when she was ready, she turned.

Before her stood, motionless, a six foot five man with messy brown hair. Pale skin, seductive--to others--smile, Xan should have remembered him sooner. Wearing a casual blazer and dark khakis, it was obvious he was trying to make her feel more at ease with his clothing option. It didn't help.

His red eyes bored into hers, as if looking into _her _soul, as she'd looked into the deer's. She began to wonder what he found there.

If he found anything at all.

"Why are you here?" she asked slowly, unwilling to move. She hated the sound of her voice, so unused for so long.

"What?" Luther smiled wider. "Children are always glued to their parents, you know."

"You aren't a child." Xan glared.

"Nevertheless, your spawn."

"By mistake!"

"What, aren't you happy to see me, Mum?"

"Very funny!" Xan stood then, glaring angrily. "I'm not your mother! I bit you by mistake, you bloody fool!"

Luther stepped forward, and Xan stepped back, not willing to be any closer to this vampire. "Aw, don't say that. You don't mean it."

"Don't I?"

Luther sat then, realizing his advances were making Xan uneasy. "The last thing I'd want for you is to be mad at me, Lexy."

"Too late for that," Xan spat, shaking her head. She suddenly noticed the sun. "I have to go. Don't follow me!"

Luther laughed then. "I'll never stop following you. But I'll stay here, no doubt. Waiting."

And so Xan left then, eyes glued to the path in front of her, but her mind registered nothing. All she knew was that she was running away from him. Far, far away.

And he stayed. Watching.

Watching.


	7. Forgotten

_I'm thinking of starting a new story, but I doubt that that's a good idea. I just had a good idea...but I already have four story things I need to update on, and they're slow as it is. Maybe I'll wait a little while..._

_And, again, I'm making up some stuff on the Quileutes in this chapter. _

_-_

This was bad. So bad. So, so, so, so, so...

How had Luther found her? Being an old vampire, Xan knew the ins and outs of hiding one's trails. She had many enemies, and none had found her in the last few years. Not only that, but none of their special abilities worked on her, so if any of them had an ability that could help them find people, it was futile.

Even Luther would have a hard time, or so Xan thought. Even with those Goddamn eyes of his...

Now Xan was running late. She had blood all over her, having spoiled her new clothes. And now Bella was going to go to La Push, and she was completely drenched in blood and not ready. How many of the Quileutes were werewolves? She hadn't even scouted the area. Shit, shit, shit...

She arrived back at Bella's home just in time to see the cop car back out of the driveway, Bella's sullen face staring out the side window. Xan cursed herself for her foolishness--she shouldn't have hunted.

But then, she mightn't have been alerted to Luther's presence. If she knew Luther, then she knew he was the kind to wait around and see what was going on in a place before showing himself.

Unless he had already done so...? No. Xan wouldn't allow herself to believe that. If she admitted herself to the realization that maybe he'd been here a little while, and she hadn't realized it...she just might give up on existing.

Xan knew she couldn't go to La Push the way she was dressed. Hurriedly, she snuck into Bella's room through the window--she barely bothered with sneaking, there wasn't a point--and threw on gray Capri pants and a little-too-big-for-her Abercrombie & Fitch tee-shirt (a store which she disliked) and forgot all about shoes. She'd rather go barefoot than confine her feet, which were begging to run, run, run. For some reason, she had this insane urge to just go running...and this was an urge she couldn't defy.

She left the home in a hurry, jumping to the ground nimbly and immediately going into a sprint, straight into the woods.

She took the longest route possible for getting to La Push. Though her mind told her she should get there as quickly as possible, since she hadn't been there in ages and didn't know the safety level, her primal instincts told another story.

She lost herself in the run, feeling the mud between her toes, still slightly damp from last night's shower. The wind hit her face with a force she couldn't decipher; the branches clung to her with a need she didn't understand.

She arrived before she realized it. She had been running someplace new and hadn't realized it. She hadn't been paying attention, and she wasn't in control of where her legs were pushing her to.

She wasn't going to La Push--or the reservation, anyway. She was going to an ancestral ground.

The Quileutes, or the original Native Americans that made up that ancient tribe, had a habit of burying their dead spirit warriors and other important members of the tribe on hills--the mountains of the Olympic region.

And this is where her feet had carried her.

Her mind screamed at her to find Bella, and to forget she'd subconsciously made her way here. But she couldn't go. Something was pulling her.

She walked through the graves--there was no set ground for the cemetary. There weren't even marks where the graves were. But she could feel the bodies beneath the ground, most of them stripped of all flesh. And yet...they still felt alive.

"Who are you?"

Xan pricked her ears toward the noise. The words had been spoken from the throat of a vampire she knew--Luther.

She had been sucked into her own world and not realized he was there.

Xan looked over her shoulder at him, as he leaned against a dark tree several feet away from her. "What are you talking about? You know who I am."

"I don't think he was refering to you, Alexandrine of the Volturi guard."

Xan spun in confusion, looking left and right before her eyes settled on the form of Victoria, sitting on a strong tree branch twenty feet above her head.

Xan watched in stunned silence as she jumped, gracefully landing beside her. Now Xan stood between Luther and Victoria, speechless. How had she not seen her? She felt frailer than a human.

"Thank you so much for helping me," Victoria whispered in Xan's ear, circling an arm around her shoulders.

Xan just stared. "What are you talking about?" she managed to ask, slowly forcing life into her limbs and mind. Though she was trying to make herself move again, she was still immobile.

"Your clothes. I'm not the best tracker, so thanks to you, and those clothes of Bella's you decided to wear, I've finally found Bella's scent." She laughed, slightly devilishly. "I was having a hard time, you see."

Luther said nothing, just stood against the tree, still as a stone--even for a vampire. His mouth was set into a hard frown, red eyes surveying Victoria coldly--though Victoria refused to meet his gaze. His casual clothing choice seemed out of place in this tense situation.

Xan suddenly came to life, snatching Victoria's wrist that was hanging from her right shoulder and pulling with immense force, throwing the unexpecting Victoria over her head and into a thick tree.

She landed with a _thwack_ and fell to the ground. Since she remained unmoving, Xan realized that that was exactly what she _had _been expecting.

And she just took it.

Xan swallowed hard. What had she done? Victoria must have smelled her clothes--whenever she had had the chance to smell her, whether it was now or yesterday--and linked it to Bella's home.

How did they--Victoria and Luther--even know where she was?

_The hell is going on?! _Xan thought, scolding herself. _These vampires are here, and you didn't even realize it. You forgot about the smell...you forgot about Luther...you're forgetting everything! You senile old hag!_

It was all becoming too much for Xan. In all her life, she had always been in control. And she could be in control now. But the weight of how much she had forgotten--how much, in the past few days, had gone out of her control--simply astounded her, causing her mind to nearly shut down.

But she had to hang on. Just a few more minutes...at least.

Luther stared at Xan, somehow realizing what was happening to her. "Mom, are you--"

"_I'm not your mother!_" Xan cried, peircing Luther with a stare that chilled him to the bone.

"Sorry," Luther said, gritting his teeth. "I just wanted to know if you're alright. What' going on?" His gaze turned to Victoria, who was starting to stand now.

She giggled, sounding almost like a teenager, excited for the upcoming sleepover. "I can't believe the Cullens actually left you in charge of Bella," Victoria laughed. "Such a fatal mistake."

Then she was running, a blur, down the mountainside, and into the vast forest.

Xan could run after her. Charge down the mountain, punching her face in...

But instead her knees started to buckle.

She dropped to the ground, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. Her hand tightened into a fist, and she struck the ground with a mighty blow, causing the nearby trees to tremble.

Luther just stood there, staring.

After a moment, Xan stood again, forcing herself. She looked to the sky for a moment, gazing at the lonely clouds making their way across the sky, so slowly, so serenely.

Then her gaze returned to the ground, and she wondered what had brought her here in the first place. She looked around absently, barely acknowledging that Luther was still there, staring, and Victoria had just gone, running.

Her eyes rested on a mound of dirt, bulging slightly from the ground, but only so slightly that a vampire's eyes could notice.

Something was there. In her mind; in the ground. Something was there, something she knew, yet did not know. There was something hidden in her mind she should be paying attention to now.

She should stay there. Investigate. Look around for clues...clues to what had forced her here.

Instead, she left.


	8. It's Important!

_Holy boojooboos. Has it been a day? And another chapter? I'm on a rooooll. _

-

She couldn't even get into the area.

the stench was overpowering. It assaulted her nose fiercely, almost as if it had a vendetta against her for some past deed she's forgotten.

_Forgotten._

But that horrible, overwhelming odor was not what barred her entrance into the reservation, where she now longed to find Bella and protect her. So many things had happened out of the ordinary. She'd spent--what--three, four months, doing nothing but waiting, and watching. So many new things were happening...and she just couldn't take it.

What stopped her from fulfilling what she ached to do were two massive brown and black wolves, glaring at her menacingly.

Others may have cowered; Xan only sighed.

Nothing happened for a moment. Xan stared with dead eyes past them, eyes unfocused, brain just tired of this. She snapped.

"You know, if you have something to say, say it already!"

In an instant, everything that needed to be said was summed up in a meaningful growl.

_You're not supposed to be around here anymore. You're not welcome. Go away. We'll hurt you. Why are you even here?_

They didn't actually say this, because they were currently canines and canines cannot speak any human language physically that Xan could understand, or communicate with a regular human telepathically as they did with themselves, so Xan would just have to guesstimate what that bark meant. But it wasn't hard.

"Listen, I know you don't like me," Xan said.

The brown one made a low-pitched whine--agreeing.

"But I need to be with Bella."

The black one snarled in reluctance.

"I was ordered to do so, by the Cullens."

The black one raised an eyebrow, as if to say, _Your point is?_

"Listen, Bella may be in trouble," Xan nearly begged. This was quite true. Who knew what Victoria would do? She could be racing to Bella right now, right into the reservation.

No, that's what she _would _do, most likely. And it took Xan this long to realize it.

Victoria was rather young. She had been madly in love with James. Odds were, she wanted to kill Edward's mate--since Edward had killed hers. She would go straight for the kill, now that she was absolutely sure who Bella was, because of her scent. She didn't know of the beastly menaces here. She may notice the strange and disgusting scent, but in her quest for vengeance, it may not register quite well to her. There was a distinct possibility that Bella was in deep trouble.

Bella was a ticking time bomb.

"Look, there's a vampire who's after her," Xan informed them anxiously.

The brown one snorted, shaking his head. _Yeah, we know, we're looking at her._

"No, not me, Victoria!" Xan answered angrily. "I'm a thousand times you're senior! Please, let me speak! It's important!"

The black one gritted his teeth and shook his head in impatience, but it seemed he would relent.

The wind howled, and dark clouds seemed to be making their way across the sky. Xan stared at them as she began to speak. "Remember when Bella hurt her leg half a year ago?"

They nodded.

"That was a vampire's doing."

They did nothing. They seemed to have figured as much.

"But that vampire, who did that to Bella, was killed by Edward."

They continued their silence. They seemed not to know what to say, because the only real answer to this that they could communicate would be some form of happiness, and they did not want anything to do with vampires associated with happiness.

"Now, the mate of the one Edward killed wants to kill Bella."

Their brows furrowed, and the brown one whined anxiously.

"You see, for vampires, when a mate is killed, vengeance instantly follows--it's one of those vampire customs that isn't really ever questioned, even if the vengeful vampire tries to kill another who's infinitely stronger. Victoria--this is the mate's name--does not want to kill Edward, who killed her mate--but to kill Edward's mate, so he would feel the same pain she was going through. Do you see?" _You thick-headed puppies._

The black one stared deep into Xan's unyielding gaze. He slowly nodded.

"Victoria just gained Bella's scent," _through my idiocy. _"She's in a great deal of danger as we speak. Is she with anyone at the moment, someone who could protect her from a formidable foe, such as a vampire?"

The two wolves turned then, dashing into the woods at a speed that matched, or possibly exceeded that of a matured vampire, though not of a newborn. Slightly impressed, Xan followed close behind, taking their immediate retreat as a _no._

The foul stench got worse and worse, and soon it was close to unbearable, Xan's nose feeling as if it was alight with an unrivaled blaze of heat.

But with it burned memories long forgotten, tugging at the loose ends of her consciousness. Images of wolves roaming a land fruitful with children and food and happiness. The scenery around her sparked memories she hadn't known she'd possessed. This had to be...before Aldo? No...she couldn't even tell.

_Is this important?_ Xan wondered. _Is there something there...that I need to know?_

She figured it could wait. Without a second thought, she buried these weird images and sounds and memories deep into her conscious...vowing to reveal them later.

It astounded Xan that the wolves had yet to turn to her and growl at her to stay behind. Maybe they thought she should be there, so she could protect Bella herself. Maybe they only needed her as an information source. In any case, she was headed for Bella.

A piercing female cry rang through the forest.

They hadn't been traveling for long, but Xan knew that they weren't in reach of a house for at least a half mile. Who would be out here, in the middle of the woods?

Though Xan, and the wolves (she assumed) wanted desperately to find Bella, and end this threat that Victoria posed towards not only the community of La Push but of all the surrounding counties, none of them could bear to leave a woman in distress. Besides, it could be a girl they knew...

Xan knew, before they crossed the short distance to the rough dirt path that wove its way through the trees, just who had caused the cry. Her stomach did a back flip.

The wolves' sharp barks sounded, but Xan kept silent. She motioned for them to stay back. They obeyed, though unwillingly.

She stepped onto the dirt path beside the vampire, standing over the body of a woman.

Luther chuckled tiredly. "I was just passing through, and yet she got so scared," he sighed. "I didn't even do anything."

"Luther, please go," Xan ordered, exhausted of this. "You may very well be killing someone by annoying me." Xan longed to go, to find Bella. She couldn't just stay there. Victoria could strike at any moment. But she couldn't just leave Luther, either. What mischeif would he start next?

She turned to the wolves. "Go to Bella! I'll follow you once I deal with him."

The black one gestured his head toward the woman.

"She only fainted. She'll be fine."

And then, they were gone.

Xan sighed, rubbing her temples. "Really, Luther? You come all this way, from God knows where, to interrupt me while I'm doing something infinitely important? Bella could _die_--"

"I was in Italy, actually," Luther said nonchalantly, investigating the woman's unconscious body with a mild interest. "Looking to pay you a visit. But you weren't there."

"_I_ was paying a visit to one of my old colleagues. Carlisle, in fact."

Luther smiled slightly. "You always go to Italy, but you never do stay long, do you?"

Xan shrugged. "Aro wanted me on his personal guard 24/7, but if I did...well, I haven't made as many friends in my day as I have enemies..."

She almost smiled, but stopped herself. What was she doing?

"Look, Luther, I must go," Xan said. "Stop causing trouble! Just go, will you?"

"I can't leave without having a proper conversation with you," Luther replied, eyes darting to stare into Xan's, which she quickly dropped. "I haven't in ages. And you know me, so emotionally clingy..."

"Not now."

"Later?" Luther asked, sounding pitifully hopeful.

"I'll think about it."

Luther seemed happy at this. He nodded. "'Kay, Lexi," he sighed. "See you."

And she left.


	9. Zebra

She was perfectly fine.

Xan didn't want to have to admit this. It was so wrong, and she knew it, but she wished Bella had been in trouble. Not deadly trouble, but enough to have to bring the Cullens back.

And delay Luther's owed conversation.

But, there was some good out of it. Now she'd _have _to call the Cullens, considering Bella was in deep...well..._shit _right now.

The wolves were wary, though.

They might have thought she tricked her. They sensed Victoria and knew her threat, but somehow, they still believed they'd been deceived somehow.

"What was I to gain by doing that?" Xan had said.

They refused to reply.

In any case, things were getting a little more interesting. Though it was still a horrible existence here, in such a dreary place--though it had started to snow the night of Bella's return, and Xan had always loved snow--at least now there was something to _do._

Bella was in danger, and Xan should be worried, but...she'd lived so long, nothing really bothered her, even the thought of Bella dying...well, the negative impact it would cause on her relationship with the Cullens, yes, that was something she'd rather avoid...but...

Bella was safe at the Blacks house, this was assured. The wolves were big and strong, and though they seemed hot-tempered, they seemed sure of themselves. She could trust they'd protect her there.

She knew she had past memories of them. She didn't suspect it, she _knew _it--she knew she'd been sent on missions here, for various reasons. But the real-life memories she'd experienced here...they still eluded her.

She wanted to search her mind, but she hadn't the time. Instead, she returned to the Swan home, climbing up her regular tree by Bella's window. She always climbed the same way, and it was starting to show--there were subtle ruts and tears and worn away bark that showed, and if you looked closely, you'd see a pattern...this didn't really concern Xan all too much, for any human would easily overlook it, but unhumans, such as vampires...or wolves...

She perched herself upon her regular branch (which was starting to droop because of her constant sitting) and started to reach for her phone.

Then she noticed something.

"Shit!"

How had she forgotten that?

In the middle of Bella's room lay a pile of bloody clothing.

God, who knows what Bella would have thought had she found a pile of _her own clothes _bloodied and battered upon her bedroom floor.

_Xan, Xan, Xan, _Xan thought. _Get it together!_

Without a problem she slipped through the window and retrieved the clothes, then dumped them quietly in her backyard, beneath a few fallen, rotted trees. She never bothered to take a mountain hike or walk through the forest, so the likelihood of their discovery was small.

She returned to her position, falling against the tree in routine reluctance. She reached behind her and easily found the phone, as she did every day.

Since her deploy on this mission she had never once had to use that phone, save for the first time she called Carlisle. Even so, she'd always grasped the phone, staring at it, not entirely sure why.

Finally, it would be put to use!

There was no hesitance in her dialing--she hadn't put anyone on speed dial, because one of those games she liked to play while she was alone on that branch every night for the past four months two weeks three days fifteen hours and seven minutes was recite all their numbers, creating little songs for them.

Carlisle: seven-four, seven-eight, how do you masturbate? Six and then a three, I really need to pee~~~!! Oh!

The phone rang. How lovely, the sound of a phone ringing. Ring, ring, ring...ring, ring, ring...

"Hello, the number you are trying to call...747-8630 is currently unavailable. Please leave a message after the beep."

Beep.

Well, that was a downer.

Emmett!

Ring--

"OMG, Xan!"

"Yo, Emmi, what's up?"

"Nothing much, yo. What's going on? Is something wrong?"

"Not too much...had a pleasant conversation with Victoria, though. Nice woman. Really should get to know her better."

"And...?"

"Well, apparently, she not only knows Bella's scent...but she knows where she lives...and..."

"Holy crap."

"I know."

"Where is she now?"

"Victoria? Hell if I know."

An exasperated sigh. "No! Bella."

"Oh, she's at the Blacks' house. She's safe. There are giant wolves covering her ass."

"Oh, really? Well, keep her there."

"Oh, um...right! That's a good idea. How?"

"Make her sleep over there. Find a way. Escort her to school, escort her back...you're gonna have to tell her you're there. Oh, crap..."

"KK, biffle. Hey, by the way, where's Carlisle?"

"Eh? He, Esme, Rosalie and Alice are going on a hike in the Himalayas. They won't be back for at least a week, I'd think."

The Himalayas? Well, how had she expected to know? He wasn't talking to her...

"Oh. Ok, gotcha, Emmett. What about Jasper? And Edward?"

"Edward's...well...Jasper's visiting some old friends."

Well, that answered a whole lot.

"Well, Xan, I got to go. The lions are out of their cave and--holy shit--fresh zebra! Bye!"

Beep.

She pouted. She loved zebra. Or, rather, the people who ate the zebra. _Haha, that's a funny word, zebra. Zebra zebra zebra zebra zebra..._Well, at least she got to talk to Emmett. That didn't usually happen. This was good.

Unnaturally good.

--

_Oh, no. Did this chapter make sense? Idk, I don't think I got the character things right...I don't think Emmett would have said that...or Xan...oh well._


	10. Mother

_I'm revising Luther's height. He'd now five foot ten. I made him way too tall two or three chapters ago._

--

They didn't welcome her. Who would? But they didn't openly display this. For, Jake wasn't a werewolf, and neither were a lot of others...they couldn't reveal what they were, or what Xan was.

It was strange.

She walked right into the town--lots of people stopped to look, wrinkled their noses, and returned to their business. (They'd heard of vampires from their legends, but many didn't believe. Still, many were wary of the Cullens, and now her, seeing as she was one of the main suspects in the two boys' killings a little while back.)

It seemed oddly familiar, yet foreign. She assumed this must be because of her recent forgetfulness.

She was barely two streets into the small town when she was approached by the human forms of the two wolves from earlier.

"What are you doing here?" asked the taller one, whose narrow eyes pierced her skin. "Bella's fine; there's no reason for you to be here."

"Oh, but there is," Xan said with a nervous little laugh, biting her lip. "You see...uh...the thing is..."

"What?" the second one growled.

"We have to keep Bella here."

She had expected that there would have to be an explanation, but they seemed to realize the reason on their own. _I probably subconsciously underestimate them, _Xan thought to herself.

"Yeah. Alright. Hmm...well..." the older one mumbled, looking into Xan's eyes. "What's your name, bloodsucker?"

Well, it was good to know they were on friendly terms. "Alexandrine Ockley, former Volturi--"

"Yeah, yeah," the younger one snapped, suddenly looking around.

Xan did as well. They were drawing attention, even though the nearly deserted street held little over five occupants, including themselves.

"Let's go into the woods, shall we?" the leader asked, motioning for Xan to follow as they led the way to the nearest edge of forest.

"Listen, we know the whole deal with you," the leader said, lowering his face to her level--he was extremely tall. Xan suddenly wondered why this had not occured to her, since she was so short and he so tall, and it was a noticible difference. She surmised it to be because she had such a large ego sometimes that size differences meant little to her.

"That's...good, I guess?" Xan said.

"I am the leader of the wolf pack, Sam Uley," said the leader fearlessly. He seemed to glow with a certain pride. "And this is Paul."

"Uley? But shouldn't Black be the pack leader?" Xan questioned. The words were out before she realized it, and they puzzled her. Where had they come from?

Sam stared at her long and hard. "Well, anyway," Sam said, ignoring her question, "this is Paul. We're the only wolves here right now. We'll take care of Bella."

"You will? How?"

"We'll convince her to stay here. We'll have Paul guard Charlie's house 24/7, and keep her here..."

Xan raised an eyebrow. "But for what reason?"

Sam opened his mouth, then shut it. "Umm..."

Paul raised his hand. "Oh! Oh! I know!"

Xan nodded for him to continue.

"We'll beg her to do an article for her school paper on the reservation and its members. We'll tell her that the only way for her to actually understand us would be to live with us. We'll take her for a week, and in that time, we wolves will find and kill this Victoria."

Xan gave a skeptical look, but then dropped it. "Yeah, I suppose that's a good idea. Better than what I've got..." Yeah, exposing herself to Bella wasn't the brightest idea she'd ever had (Though it was Emmett who suggested it.) She didn't know if the wolves could take on Victoria, but she'd let them give it a shot--she'd remain close by to ensure their victory. "Don't tell Bella anything!"

"Believe me, that is far from our intentions," Paul said, glaring at her, as if to say, _You really think we're that stupid?_

Xan nodded._Yeah, I do think you're stupid._

Sam suddenly reached forward and grabbed the front of her shirt, yanking her forward. She decided to go with it rather than avoiding it or fighting back, because she realized it would do more harm that good. She listened as he began to speak.

"Do not hunt a single human, or we'll know," Sam barked in her ear. "You do a single thing out of line, and we'll kill you."

She doubted this.

"And get your filthy leech friend _off _our land, do you hear? He's coming way too close."

Xan furrowed her eyebrows and then snapped to attention. Of course! Luther! What an idiot he was, never knowing what he was supposed to be doing.

"Of course," Xan nodded. "I'll do that. Sorry for any inconvenience."

Sam let her go reluctantly. Paul just glowered viciously, but did nothing. Then, they flitted away, leaving her by the green abyss that was the forest.

Good God, what was Luther up to? Where was he?

She stood still for a moment, searching the surrounding area for a scent of his, or movement with her senses.

He was about four kilometers off, by the coast. The most recent scent trail led into a small cave by the water, and she followed it with ease.

She realized far before she got there that he was expecting her. Of course he was, that was just like him.

"Lexi!" he called, jumping to his feet when she was nearly a hundred feet away, and flitted to her side, arms outstretched. "Lexi!"

Xan stopped a put a hand up, gritting her teeth. "Don't hug me."

His arms fell. "Why are you so cruel to me, Lexi?"

"Because you're an idiot." She looked down at her toes, sinking in the damp sand. It felt like bliss.

She sat on the sand, falling back upon it with glee. How beautiful this place was. She knew she should go soon, considering it was Quileute land, but she couldn't bring herself to leave just yet.

"Why did you decide to come?" Luther asked eagerly, sitting beside her with a plop. "Did you realize you really do love your son?"

She frowned and wrinkled her nose, and without opening her eyes, she said, "You wish."

"I do. You know I do."

"Stay off this land. It's the Quileutes, you know."

"Oh, I do. But they have the best wolf...just delectable..." he chuckled at his own joke.

Xan sat up angrily. "Don't joke like that! If they heard you, they'd rip me to pieces!"

"They wouldn't dare."

"And why is that?"

"I'd persuade them not to, of course."

Xan looked away then. "Right...those eyes..."

Luther smiled then, a half-hearted smile that seemed strained. "Of course. They come quite in handy."

Xan hugged her knees, staring off at the waves. "Why haven't you ever used them on me?"

Luther didn't answer. He just stared with her, on the rolling foam tides.

"I did, once. But it didn't work. I suppose, since you are my mother, it won't work on you."

Xan sighed heavily, looking up at Luther--he, too, annoyingly, was tall. "Do you truly believe that I am your mother?"

He smiled weakly, without looking at her. "You're my creator."

"Unfortunately. But your _mother_?"

"No, no. I don't see you that way. I only say it to annoy you."

"Why is it fun to annoy me?"

"Because if I didn't, you'd tire of me, and throw me aside."

"I'd never _throw _you side. Just gently place you deep inside my closet, where you belong."

Luther turned suddenly, and Xan tried to look away, but Luther wouldn't let her. He took her chin in his long fingers and forced her to face him, staring into her eyes.

She knew what those blood-red eyes could do, what they have done. But she didn't care, then. She kept looking right back.

"Do you truly mean that, Lex?" Luther nearly begged. "Do you truly?"

Xan sighed, looking at Luther indifferently. "Maybe."

Luther narrowed his eyes. "Why are you so cold? I've seen you with others, you're the nicest, most beautiful person in the world. But with me, I'm nothing but a toy to be tossed about."

"I don't play with toys. Are you insinuating that I'm a child?" Xan's voice started to soften, though. It wasn't fair to Luther that she was acting like this. He'd been the most irritating person she'd known for quite some time, but he was a relatively nice guy who just wanted her to pay attention to him. Besides, he'd called her beautiful. She could afford to lose some attitude. Though, she wasn't about to give up the teasing she enjoyed so much.

Luther noticed this sudden change and his eyebrows furrowed. He decided to take advantage of the situation and asked a question. "Lexi, do you see me as your son?"

"Not at all. Maybe a child, but not my son."

Luther let go of her chin and turned himself so he was staring at the ocean. After a moment, he maneuvered himself to sit behind Xan, letting his chin rest on her head.

Xan was puzzled by his behavior but decided against doing anything. _Let him do as he pleases, _she thought. _Just for today. What does it matter?_

A hand reached forward and took a strand of her hair, curling it around his finger. Xan watched him, confused. _What's he doing?_

Then, he stood, facing the roiling ocean with an intense look on his face. "Alright. I suppose I should go now."

Xan looked up at him, squinting in a stray ray of light. "I'll see you later?"

He practically beamed at the prospect of Xan wanting to see him again. "You can count on it!"

Then he dashed into the forest, looking back just once--but Xan had already turned back to the ocean, watching the water claw at the land, never seeming to reach some sort of goal it was aching for...

--

_Not one of my better chapters._


	11. Dream

The hunt for Victoria, it seemed, would be harder than expected.

Xan sat upon the rocky beach shore, staring at the incoming waves. It had been two days since Bella resigned herself to writing an article of the Quileutes, and still they had not seen one trace of Victoria.

Sure, they had trails--many of them, unfortunately. Twisting through the uncharted wilderness, they had dozens of scents to follow, and only three or so wolves to map them. She had done this on purpose, of course, to trick them--though, as it were, it was futile. Though the wolves were pups, Xan was an experienced Volturi member with Luther at her side, eager to do whatever he could to help his creator.

They were currently working out her location, but it hadn't yet been discovered. She was taking a short break, laying back, staring at the ocean.

When was the last time she'd swum? She couldn't even remember. It was before meeting the Cullens, for sure. Before she'd come here. It had to have been in Italy. In the Mediterranean sea?

She couldn't see how it even mattered, but still, she wanted to know. Think back, think back...

Perhaps it was on one of Caius's rare outings?

It would have had to have been at night, of course, though Caius barely shimmered in the sunlight anyway. Xan swore, he might as well have been human, though of course the pale translucent skin and cloudy eyes would have deemed him immediately other-worldly. And these days, it would be impossible for him to go out anyway, because the world was far too populated. She almost felt bad for the old creatures beneath Volterra, never able to venture to the surface even occasionally, but they didn't seem to mind at all. They were content to live their lives like moles, like little moles with personal assistants and servants and worshipers from as far away as Peru, if not farther.

She missed Caius. She missed all of the Volturi, but especially Caius. She wanted to return, return to when she didn't care for a single human's fate, about being in charge of a single human's fate. She wanted to hang out with her own kind--old, intelligent people. Stupid intelligent people even, Caius for one.

She laughed. It was only a small laugh, couldn't hear it if you were there, above the roar of the waves, but it was there.

Her senses _had_ dulled over the past few centuries, she couldn't deny that, so she didn't rely on any of her senses to tell her that Luther was on his way, almost there, to talk to her and do that annoying thing he always does--oh, exist, that's the word, right beside her. She just knew, and that was that. Perhaps it was because she was his "mother"?

He plopped down beside her without a word. He knew it too; it was an unspoken thing among vampires--they would know you were there before you got there, and if you were expecting them, the greeting was usually quiet, or absent.

Xan waited for the "Hey, Lexi," or worse, "Hey, Mom." But it didn't come. He just sat there, getting his expensive-looking pants sandy. Xan knew, of course, that Luther wasn't one to agonize over trivial things such as clothes.

"Any leads?" Xan asked dully, not entirely interested. She had a few days, if she could find Victoria later rather than sooner, that would be just dandy with her. She liked the silent companionship an ocean can supply--you could tell it anything, and know its language could not tell another soul about it. Not that she was pouring her heart out to some water roiling about itself, the stupid thing, but it was still there, always there, constant.

"Yeah," Luther said. He didn't elaborate. He got the hint that she wasn't very enthusiastic about going now, so he didn't press her to get going. "What're you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Xan asked him. It wasn't a rhetorical question.

"Sitting...in...sand?" Luther suggested.

"Does it seem that way? That that is truly all that's going on with me?"

"No. You seem conflicted. To lighten the mood, I answered in a stupid fashion, to try and make you laugh."

"Unsuccessfully, Luther," Xan informed him.

"I noticed."

Xan looked upward at the accumulating thunder clouds, but they didn't surprise her. They were always there. Did they ever leave?

"Why won't you fucking leave me alone?" Xan called out.

Luther looked down immediately, and then looked off onto the waves.

"I didn't mean you," Xan said quietly. "I meant the clouds."

Luther laughed pitifully. "Really? Are you sure? You can't blame a vampire for getting confused. Considering all you've ever said to him were cruel, undeserved jeers."

Xan sighed. She couldn't deny this. But did she have to get into this discussion _now_? She just wanted to sit there, enjoy the view...

"We need to find Victoria."

Xan didn't answer.

"Hello? Are you listening to me?"

Silence.

Xan was suddenly grateful to the ocean. Without it, that empty silence between them would have been unbearable; that deathly silence would have choked a noose.

"You know," Luther said, "When I was a kid..."

Xan waited.

"When I was a kid..."

...

"Yes?"

"I...I don't know. Never mind."

"No, say it."

"It doesn't matter."

"The hell is doesn't matter, you started a sentence, finish it."

"But I told you, I don't remember."

"You never said that."

"Didn't I?"

"No, you're losing your memory, as I am."

"You are?"

"Yes."

"How do you know?"

"Are you changing the subject?"

"Does it seem like I'm changing the subject?"

"A little bit, I think."

"Why would you think that?"

"Luther!"

Luther looked up sullenly, staring right into Xan's eyes, unyielding, demanding. "Tell me."

Luther stared.

Xan stared back.

Luther stared.

"You know that doesn't work on me," Xan said quietly.

"Damn. I know. Had to test it one last time."

Xan continued to stare.

"When I was a kid..." he said deliberately.

"Yes?"

"My family would record every dream any of us had--we couldn't write, but we etched little symbols into bark with charcoal, so we would remember--and at the end of the week, we would bring them to this woman in our little village that would interpret them for us."

Xan nodded. Luther was of Germanic descent, in old Europe. You'd think that mainly fortune tellers and shamans would live in Africa or South America, those generic places, but they could be found anywhere in history if you looked hard enough.

"I had a lot of dreams, for a little kid. Being a friend of the family, this woman, Conradine was her name, knew us very well, me and my sisters, from a very young age. You can tell a lot from dreams, as you can imagine."

Xan nodded, though Luther wasn't really paying attention. He seemed lost in his thoughts.

"Suddenly, around the time I was twelve or so, I didn't have any dreams. They were there, usual as always, but then they suddenly stopped. For months, none surfaced. My family became worried--but not very. They were physical people, farmers--almost everyone I knew was a farmer in those days--so my mental health, however befuddling, was not an issue."

Xan wondered where he was going with this.

"But one day, they returned. And with frightening force." Vampires cannot sweat, for their sweat glands are not needed any further upon reaching the vampiric stage of existence, so it's hard to smell fear on them through scent. But the eyes are usually good enough. Luther's eyes widened, his hands tightened and then loosened repetitively.

Xan concentrated hard, clinging to his every word, though she feigned disinterest.

"The dream nearly killed me, I think." He half-laughed, and said, "even more so than you did!"

Xan didn't say anything.

"It started off fine. I was in a forest, unlike any I'd ever seen--it was so mossy, so...so bright, so green. It was almost real.

"It was pretty, but I knew something was off. I began to run, but my legs--I couldn't--they wouldn't--"

Xan turned to face Luther, watching as his eyes darted about in the sand.

"The vines, they had me," Luther murmured. "They caught me, like snakes, those little bastards, pulled me to the ground--and then--and then--"

Luther's voice trailed off, and came back with surprising clearness.

"They bit me."

Xan leaned back from Luther's body, which had become tense.

"They bit me! All over! Everywhere! I tried to slap them, slap them away from me, but they bit me. On my leg, my stomach, in my ear, in my mouth, in my nose, on my arm, in those little wedges of skin between your thumb and forefinger...."

Luther's body relaxed. "It hurt, Lexi. It hurt."

He said nothing for a moment. Xan, tentatively, put a hand on his arm, and stroked it, even though he seemed so far away that he didn't even notice it.

"And then the snakes were vines again. They still had me locked down. You'd think I'd wake up now, but I didn't. Then, Conradine came, she came, from the forest...holding a lamp.

"The woods were dark around me, all I could see was her, and her face twisted in agony. She said, she said...she said, 'Luther, your future is dark and foreboding. It is long, far longer than the mind can comprehend. You will meet a woman, The Man's Defender, and she will be your friend, your lover, your savior, your enemy. Together you will save one: but one, inevitably, will be lost, angering one but delighting another.'"

Luther giggled. "I memorized it."

Xan didn't breathe. He was going to say more.

"Then next morning, I went to tell Conradine about my dream, but when I got there, my neighbors had already discovered her lifeless body: dead on the floor, choked on a cherry pit. A cherry pit!"

They said nothing. The wind churned in the trees, and the approaching storm darkened the sky with an ominous sepia tone. Xan stared at Luther, whose mottled hair shielded his eyes from her view.

"Who...who is The Man's Defender?"

Luther stared up at the sky, just as the first drop of rain landed with a small _pip _in the center of his forehead.

"I don't know," he murmured, back to his normal self suddenly. "I just thought you might like to know."

_Lying bastard, _Xan thought. _You nor I want to admit just who that is._


	12. Attack

Alexandrine slowly made her way into the fringe of forest dipping into the sandy expanse that led to the ocean. She didn't want to have to think about what just happened, about what Luther had just said and what it might mean. All she wanted was to disappear into the ground, find Edward, Emmett, Carlisle...and just go back to the life they'd led only a few long, long months ago.

No! Before then, before even then. Those endless, meaningless summers and winters and summers and winters, beneath the busy world of Volterra, into the nightlife of a vampiric empire.

But she couldn't, and it was useless to waste her time away fussing over what could be, or should be. She'd learned long ago that such yearnings made no difference. One could only focus on the now and hope for a better tomorrow, despite the bleakness of the day--even one so bleak as this one.

Alexandrine slowly said, in a voice barely above a whisper, "When do we meet for the hunt?"

Luther didn't meet her gaze. "At six o'clock tonight, around this giant tree--I'll show you it later."

Xan nodded, staring back at the ocean. Her clothes were sandy and dirty, unbearably uncomfortable, but she didn't dare move. She couldn't. Wouldn't.

"Do you remember..." Luther began.

Xan gave him the evil eye, somehow forgetting her urgent need to avert her eyes from his somehow monstrous stare.

"When you were a kid?" she finished his sentence.

"That wasn't what I was going to say, but yeah, when I was a kid. The day you changed me?"

"My head wasn't on straight. I've told you a hundred times how I'm sorry."

Luther let out a strangled laugh, sounding more like a moan. Xan was perplexed by this image, almost unable to hide the laughter that welled in her stomach like a firework rearing to go. Luther, standing there, such a tall guy, handsome guy with messy brown hair...how attractive, standing there, yet in such a position...look...looking down, smiling awkwardly, sand arching his stance...it was just so funny to her. Perhaps it was the situation, so coarse and primal, yet so fine and distinct*, that gave her the giggles?

"I...I'm not sorry, if you're wondering. My clearest human memory was of that night. That beautiful night...before, of course, that terrible burning that lasted five days, at least!"

He was wrong. It had lasted six. Xan had never understood why it had taken him so long; perhaps he was a special case, but that was three extra days of agony in which she mourned what a stupid decision she had made, looking upon the writhing, wretched soul that was the human Luther, wriggling in pain.

"Why do you think it so nice?" Xan asked, though everything in her screamed to end the conversation. Couldn't they just go, go and kill Victoria? Now? Why not in the daylight, inviting though cursed with the shadows of the overly friendly clouds, and not the nearly apocolyptic, hostile night?

"That was the best night of my life, Lexi," Luther said, a hint of his long-ago German accent seeping into his tone. He'd long mastered the English language with perfect linguistics, but whenever he was overcome with emotion, such as now, he became lazy in his words and his Germanic heritage became obvious.

Xan sighed roughly, shaking her head. "You don't know what your saying..."

"Don't I? Haven't I lived for eight _hundred _years?"

"Seven hundred fifty, maybe seven eighty, at the most."

Luther's hands started to tremble, and he took Xan's hands in his, stroking them softly. "It was the night at the palace."

"Yes, yes, a simple farmer in the prince's royal court, you won at the fair with the fattest pig, oh, what a fine pig, the prince was just _dazzled..._I've heard the story spouted from your mouth almost every _day _back in Volterra."

"Can't a man be proud of his work?"

"It borders upon painful, your repetitive stories..."

Luther, slowly, deliberately, brought his hand up to Xan's cheek, holding it in his palm. "But there's a part I never told you."

Xan gulped. Her face started to heat up, confused by Luther's advancement. "A-and w-what's that?"

"How I saw this beautiful woman, in the court...obviously a supernatural sight...how I'd never stand a chance...how her dancing made me weak in the knees..."

Xan's face had never felt so hot.

Luther's face leaned in, almost suggestively. What was he planning? Did he want Xan to do something? She nervously leaned backward, unknowing, confused, she didn't understand--

"Aroooooo!"

The well-known shriek of the wolf shattered the stillness of the forest with deafening effectiveness. Xan nearly fell over herself, right onto the forest floor, had Luther not righted her at the last second.

"What was that?"

"I don't know! But it was definitely--"

A howl sounded again, only this time, it was not a self-confident roar, but the pitiful whine of a wolf hurt. Xan was gone in a flash, Luther close behind, as they deftly closed in on the source of the terrifying cry.

They came upon a scene frightening to describe. A lone wolf stood there in the middle of a torn-up field, standing his ground, but blood could be seen pouring from open gashes. Though they were healing quickly, it was obvious to see they had been serious.

"That's Paul," Xan murmured, stunned. She narrowed her eyes at Victoria, the obvious criminal, as Luther stepped around her and onto the open meadow, crouching in a defensive cat-like gait, standing meters from the side of the wolf.

Xan wasn't surprised to see that she wasn't alone. In the past few weeks she had gained a few allies, but only a few, a couple of newborns whose eyes were wild with bloodlust. Not very effective against two ex-Volturi members.

But something or someone was missing. There were signs of trouble; broken branches covered the ground and the grass looked positively like miced meat, as if the claws of wolves had torn it clean through. The sky above could easily be seen to prophesize perils that indefinitely laid ahead of them.

"What happened?" Xan asked in a low growl, face contorting in anger. She pointed at Victoria with a menacing finger. She had had enough of this. "What happened?"

Victoria ignored her outright, enraging Xan to her core. She stepped up into the mossy, muddy meadow, not caring for her unkempt profile.

Victoria was staring right at the lone wolf, who was glaring at her with sheer hate.

"What happened?" Xan said. "I'm only going to ask once more."

Victoria just stared into Xan's eyes, a maddening grin spread across her ugly features.

"_What happened?!?!_"

Victoria giggled to herself. "What do you _think, _Alexandrine? I've had quite a battle here. Tough little fuckers, these wolves..." Victoria licked her lips. "But not tough enough, it seems, or that kid would still be here..."

The wolf whined in anger and lunged forward, but Luther dug a clawed hand into its flank, holding him back.

"You...you took...?" Xan mumbled confusedly.

"I-I-I-I took," Victoria mocked. "I took. I did take, in fact. I took that little one--what's his name--Quincy?"

"Quil," Xan almost roared. "Quil!"

"Oh, right. Kylie got him when he fainted. Stupid little thing." With a sly little movement of her finger, she pointed toward the forest at Xan's left. "I think they went...that way!"

Xan struggled for breath to make her head think clearly. She unconsciously moved into a defending position beside Luther, baring her teeth thoughtlessly. If...if that was true...then--

He was a goner.

They had to go after him!

Xan started to move for the forest, Luther behind her, when Victoria said, "Well, there's something you should know before you go..."

Xan waited for her answer, too full of anger and spite to say a word.

"You've only got one wolf left, seeing as that angry-wolf guy went after Quigley. One guard to protect...your precious..." she made every word come out so slowly that it hurt, causing terror to rip through Xan's spine.

"Bella."

--

_*I have no idea what this means. It just sounded cool._


End file.
